Lead and Juvenile Delinquency: New Evidence from Linked Birth, School and Crime Records - Anna Aizer, Brown University

Lead and Juvenile Delinquency: New Evidence from Linked Birth, School and Crime Records 

Using individually linked data for all RI children born between 1991 and 2005 that includes early childhood blood lead levels, in-school disciplinary infractions and juvenile detention, we estimate the impact of early lead exposure on future delinquency. For identification, we exploit the fact that proximity to roadways is associated with greater exposure to lead, but that the strength of this relationship has declined over time with the de-leading of gasoline. Exploiting within neighborhood variation in road proximity as an instrument for lead exposure, we find that exposure to lead is associated with a significantly greater likelihood of in-school disciplinary infractions and juvenile detention. The IV results are largely consistent, though slightly larger, than estimates based on sibling comparisons. We show that this can be explained by both measurement error in lead levels that bias down OLS estimates and a local average treatment effect interpretation of the IV estimates. 

Event Date
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Speaker
Anna Aizer, Brown University
Venue
270 Gross Hall
Semester
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